Crew Member Found Dead on Anthem of the Seas Where Dozens Tested For Coronavirus

Port Authority officials have confirmed that a crew member was found dead on a cruise ship where four people were tested for coronavirus amid fears of an outbreak.

Yahoo News reports: “The man’s body was found by staff on February 2 after the Royal Caribbean cruise ship The Anthem of the Seas had docked in St Lucia and the male employee had failed to show for his shift, a Port Authority spokesperson confirmed.”

The New York Post reported: “Days later, four passengers, who are Chinese nationals, were rushed to hospital on Friday after the vessel docked in Bayonne, New Jersey, over fears they had contracted coronavirus.

“They were among 27 passengers isolated on the 12-day cruise as they had recently travelled from mainland China. All were screened for coronavirus when the ship arrived on Friday, CBS reported. The four were sent to hospital for further evaluation but tested negative to the virus.

“Travel arrangements were reportedly made for the Chinese passengers’ immediate return to China under new instruction from President Donald Trump amid the global coronavirus outbreak,” the report said.

“After the ship docked at Bayonne more than 4,000 passengers fled the vessel as emergency vehicles waited at the port. Some passengers complained that during the trip they had not been informed over a possible coronavirus outbreak.

“One passenger said relatives had contacted them after seeing news reports about the a potential outbreak but they were told by staff on the ship that it was “fake news”.

The passenger told the New York Post: “They totally lied to us.”

According to the report, officials said: “There were no positive tests for coronavirus from the vessel and the crew member’s death is not related to coronavirus.